Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Duque de Caxias

For one person, living is cheaper in Duque de Caxias: $806 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Duque de Caxias
Learn more

Duque de Caxias Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Duque de Caxias

🇧🇷 Brazil

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Duque de Caxias

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Duque de Caxias actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $806 in Duque de Caxias, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Duque de Caxias $806

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,390 in Duque de Caxias, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Duque de Caxias $1,390

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,974 in Duque de Caxias, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Duque de Caxias $1,974

Playa del Carmen costs about 49% more than Duque de Caxias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Duque de Caxias are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Duque de Caxias 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$7.07 R$35.82

53.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$39.30 R$199

12.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$8.26 R$41.90

42.37%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.26 R$11.44

62.83%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.52 R$7.70

-11.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.04 R$5.26

-21.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.17 R$10.99

41.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.58 R$18.16

37.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.18 R$5.96

24.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.06 R$10.46

7.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.14 R$5.76

29.82%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.24 R$11.37

11.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$9.06 R$45.91

-17.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$4.51 R$22.87

76.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$9.98 R$50.6

25.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.83 R$14.37

-1.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.76 R$8.94

-18.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.58 R$8.00

65.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.79 R$9.07

19.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.20 R$6.06

68.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.06 R$5.38

87.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.76 R$3.85

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.64 R$3.25

87.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.83 R$14.32

50.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$8.10 R$41.07

23.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.18 R$5.96

30.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.49 R$12.61

6.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.98 R$4.97

-45.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$43.44 R$220

-36.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.27 R$6.43

285.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.41 R$7.14

143.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$9.23 R$46.81

-41.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.26 R$6.38

15.08%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$23.4K R$118.8K

-9.73%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$34.1K R$172.8K

-32.48%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$85.4 MX$1,577

$42.43 R$215

101.18%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.46 MX$434

$10.65 R$54.0

120.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$18.29 R$92.7

55.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$25.58 R$130

143.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$27.88 R$141

2.87%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$7.91 R$40.12

-35.52%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$201 MX$3,715

$424 R$2,150

-52.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$7,540 R$38.2K

-47.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$41.79 R$212

6.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$49.66 R$252

-16.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$95.7 R$485

-24.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$85.4 R$433

4.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$297 R$1,505

229.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$169 R$857

120.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$789 R$4,000

113.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$443 R$2,248

146.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,286 R$6,519

207.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$570 R$2,891

975.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$302 R$1,530

144.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.12

2.97%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Duque de Caxias: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Duque de Caxias

$169 21% 54.6% $204

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Duque de Caxias

$209 25.9% 19.1% $49

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Duque de Caxias

$137 17% 31.8% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Duque de Caxias

$71 8.9% 48% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Duque de Caxias

$123 15.2% 9.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Duque de Caxias

$41 5.1% 42.8% $31

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Duque de Caxias

$56 6.9% 7.7% $4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $297 in Duque de Caxias. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 144% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $39.00 in Duque de Caxias. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $209 – making Duque de Caxias the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Duque de Caxias

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

10:17 10:17 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

808,161

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Duque de Caxias 6,760 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Duque de Caxias

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Playa del Carmen vs Duque de Caxias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 49% more than Duque de Caxias, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,209 in Duque de Caxias. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Duque de Caxias, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $39.00 in Duque de Caxias. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Duque de Caxias, where all-in costs run around $806, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Duque de Caxias it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Duque de Caxias costs $806 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Duque de Caxias. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.